Thermophysical and mechanical characterizations of Gaoui clay stabilized by gum arabic

Clay is a contemporary material available in abundance, its use in the building sector has sparked numerous studies due to its low environmental impact. The energy consumption of modern imported materials requires a return to the use of local materials. Building with them is economical, ecological and comfortable and becomes a major challenge to take up, given the galloping demographic growth of the population. The geotechnical study showed that the soil is made up of very fine elements, type A3, very plastic and silty-clayey. The aggregation of gum arabic causes a variation in the aforementioned quantities. Experimental results show a decrease in thermal conductivity for low gum arabic content (0 to $4 \%$) and an increase up to $8 \%$. Thermal effusivity also decreased from 0 to $2 \%$ and then increased beyond this percentage Resistances to compression and bending/traction are significantly improved. They increased respectively from 2.4 to 8.5 MPa from 0.72 to 2.51 MPa for 0 to $8 \%$ of gum arabic.